Lyrics | Artists | Lonnie Donegan

Lonnie Donegan

The British skiffle boom of the late 1950s was desperately short-lived, but its influence ran deep, with many stars from The Beatles to Van Morrison inspired to pick up instruments by skiffle's do-it-yourself ethos and specifically Lonnie Donegan. The son of a professional violinist, Donegan was born in Glasgow but raised in East Ham, London, learning guitar at 14. He was in his teens when he joined Chris Barber's jazz band though his career was interrupted in 1949 when he was called up for National Service. When he left the army Donegan formed the Tony Donegan Jazz Band, changin...